Speaking for all our faithful, I want to express our profound disgust and contempt for the recent defilement of the Great Mosque of Paris, emblem for Islam in France. The perpetrators of these hateful words attack all — believers and non-believers — who are loyal to the principles of our Republic.

The role of the Commission of the Ministry on the Baptized is to guide and empower all baptized people in discerning their call to serve in God's church. The Commission developed this resource, 'I Will, With God's Help' to offer initial support to individuals contemplating their roles as ministers in the church. The Commission offers an annual retreat to assist individuals in their process of discernment. The 2014 Discernment Conference is scheduled for November 7, in Namur, Belgium.

Bishop Whalon’s official, annual Pastoral Letter takes the form of an Address, a practice that he instituted six years ago. The address is delivered each year, in written form, to the delegates at Convocation’s annual Convention. Following the Convention, the Letter is made available to all of the congregations. The canon law of The Episcopal Church requires all bishops to make an annual Address to their conventions and synods to inform the church about 'episcopal acts' since the previous year's convention.

'The Bibliography,' first conceived as a one-time project of the Convocation's Mission 2006 initiative, is now a Convocation institution. Each fall, the clergy are invited to submit up to five book titles to the Bibliography. A selection of these books is raffled each fall during an especially festive dinner at the annual Convocation Convention.The proceeds of this highly anticipated event support a designated ministry or mission project. The bibliography has grown significantly since its introduction in 2007; it now includes 12 pages of book recommendations. Attention Convention delegates....this year's book selection has already arrived in Rome. Don't forget to buy your raffle tickets!

In her article, 'Fortified by Faith, Combating Global Trafficking', Amy Roth Sandrolini talks about her life's work as a journalist and human rights activist. Part of her story is set in Rome, where she was serving as a press officer to the Embassy of the United States to the Holy See. She supported to the embassy's nascent partnership with a network of Catholic nuns in a project to provide safe havens to exploited young women. While posted in Italy, Amy served on the vestry at St. Paul's Within the Walls, a congregation of the Convocation. Later, she served as a member of the Bishop's Council of Advice. She is the daughter of an Episcopal priest.